Illnesses

1 year ago

As mentioned in the “Trenches” section of this site, sanitary conditions of the trenches was poor, and many soldiers became ill. In addition to illnesses unique to warfare, such as Trench Foot, Trench Mouth and Trench Fever, many soldiers became infected with dysentery, typhus, and cholera. Many soldiers suffered from parasites, and these caused further illness. Sometimes, a soldier would mistake a lethal illness for a more innocuous one— for example, mistaking Trench Fever for regular influenza— and take too long to seek treatment. Despite all the horror stories of gas attacks and gunfire, illness was the number one killer of soldiers during the Great War.